Blood
by Unborn Lord Xion
Summary: Hakucho and Nejidaddy have a talk. NejiNaruHina.


**Title:** Blood  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Couple:** Naruuga - Neji/Naruto/Hinata  
**Challenge:** #1 Bloodlines  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** Hakucho and Neji-daddy have a talk.

For Hyuuga Neji, the transition to fatherhood was an odd one. True, he wasn't technically the father of Hinata's daughter - the spiky hair and mischievous personality made it clear which of her two lovers had truly fathered the girl. Still, in the public eye, he was the father of the new Hyuuga heir, and that was all there was to it. Her blood didn't matter to Hiashi-sama, and though gossips would still talk, the name Hyuuga carried enough weight to keep people from saying anything too loud.

So, he was a father. And for the first years of her life, it had been terribly awkward. He had never been a particularly paternal person; Naruto more than made up for that. Even after spending so many years with Naruto and Hinata, he was still distant at times. Emotions were never his forte, and the death of his father haunted him to this day, making him subconsciously try and stay detached.

He spent most of his time alone, either off on missions, training, or simply relaxing out on the porch while Naruto changed nappies and Hinata made sure he did it _right_ this time. And it's not like he was totally solitary. They slept together, ate together, talked together, laughed together...all of that. Because, distant or not, he was in love, with all of them.

But it was that distance that made him surprised when, at the age of 5, little Hakucho came running out onto the porch where he drank his afternoon tea and clutched his pant leg, crying loudly. He reached down and picked her up, holding her small frame against his chest. He could feel hot tears through the thin material of his shirt and, not knowing what else to do, stroked her hair softly.

"Shh, shh," he said, trying to calm the poor girl. He didn't have any particular words of reassurance for her, since he had no idea what was wrong, and decided that perhaps cliché was best for once. "It's okay, Hakucho-chan. I'm here for you."

A few minutes passed before her sobs quieted to mere sniffles. She looked up at him with her big, pale eyes that marked her as a Hyuuga.

"N-Neji-papa? Why...why do the villagers hate me?" she stammered, in a quiet tone just like the one her mother used to use. It almost shocked him. Normally, she was more like her father...her blood-father, at least.

"Hate you?" he said, raising his eyebrows. "Why do you think they hate you?"

"'Cuz they're always lookin' at me mean," she wailed. "An'...An' some of the kids said I have bad blood. Wuzzat mean, Neji-papa? Why's my blood bad?"

Neji sighed inwardly. The eldest daughter of the main branch and the stronger Hyuuga of his generation, and the Future Hokage, all managed to command respect and avoid the barbs of the more closed-minded, despite their unique life style choice. However, it appears that a five-year old girl, and the child of this unusual union, could not. The elder Hyuuga paused, having to think about what to say to that.

"Hakucho...something you must understand is that, people can be very foolish at times," was his eventual decision. "They don't like things that are different. When something is different, or special, sometimes people try to...to lash out. In fear."

"They're...afraid of me?" she asked, with all the childish wonder a five-year-old could muster.

"In a sense," he said, after some hesitation. "They don't hate you, Hakucho. They hate your family. They hate _us_."

"But...how could anybody hate Mama? She's so nice to me, an' everybody else, too!"

Explaining the logistics of unusual family values was proving even harder than he'd thought.

"It's not that they don't like us individually. They don't like what we are, together."

"They don't like daddies an' mommies?"

Sigh. "Hakucho, it's just...you've seen your friend's parents, haven't you?" he ventured.

"Yeah. Like when I go over to Chomaru-kun's house. His daddy makes the best lunches ever!" she said, smiling broadly. Just like Naruto. "Well, 'cept Mama's, of course," she added sheepishly.

"And...how many parents does Chomaru-kun have?" he asked, already a bit afraid of the answer.

"Three, just like me! Ino-mama, an' Shikamaru-daddy, an' Chouji-daddy."

Neji privately cursed the InoShikaCho family for making things harder on him.

"What about...your other friends?"

"Well, Nami-chan only has her daddy an' her mommy. Her daddy's real funny! He said he'd teach me how to talk to squirrels!" She chirped in what Neji could only imagine was her impression of a squirrel.

"Well, silly as this may seem - "

Neji was cut off, possibly fortunately, by a loud banging sound inside the house. It was followed by a yelp.

"Naruto-kun!" was the cry, obviously from Hinata.

"Stupid...steps," Naruto groaned weakly. Neji sighed, and realized that his other lover had tripped on the front steps for the third time that week.

"Hakucho...please go help Naru-daddy and Mama," he said wearily.

"Okay," Hakucho said, sighing like it was the biggest burden in the world. And then, much to his shock, she hugged him tightly. "I love you, Neji-papa."

Neji smiled and patted her on the head again. "I love you, too, Hakucho-chan."

It was odd, he told himself, watching the little girl dash into the house with renewed vigor. But, he added, fatherhood was certainly worth the trials.


End file.
